http://espn.go.com/nba/news/2003/0219/1511267.html The Sonics have rejected an offer from the Knicks that would send Gary Payton to New York in exchange for Kurt Thomas and Charlie Ward, high-ranking officials with three different teams told The New York Times on Tuesday. The Knicks apparently are trying hard to improve their roster with an eye at making a run for a playoff spot this season. The Knicks are 23-29 and two games out of a playoff spot in the Eastern Conference. The NBA trading deadline is Thursday at 6 p.m. ET. Payton, 34, is one of the premier point guards in the NBA. He is averaging 20.6 points and 8.9 assists per game this season. The Sonics may consider some changes at the deadline, considering they have lost six games in a row and are 21-30 and not close to playoff contention. The Knicks, who are an impressive 2-1 on their current West Coast trip, are playing Payton and the Sonics in Seattle on Wednesday night. Thomas said on Monday that he doubts Knicks general manager Scott Layden would make a major deal. "I don't think that he will do anything drastic," Thomas told The Times. "We have a team here that's been competing, playing hard and been in a lot of games. When (Antonio) McDyess does come back all it's going to do is help us and make us a better team." The Knicks acquired McDyess, a proven power forward, in a draft-day deal during the offseason. However, that deal backfired when McDyess was injured during a preseason game. He is likely out for the entire season.
It's not all that unreasonable an offer, but -- the Sonics reportedly won't deal Payton w/out offloading James and/or Booth's contract, too. Thomas would be good for them. Ward would 'go away' with a $2mil after seson buy-out and the Sonics could go after Kidd, for example. Or Arenas? Or 'dre?
I think the papers are mentioning that Layden is just pulling trades out of his A-hole and then mentioning them to the press as a way of showing he is "trying" to improve the team. Therefore you might see "Ward/Weatherspoon for Kobe" type offers from the Knicks.
Payton is probably leaving in free agency this summer anyway. Seattle either needs to deal him now or sign-and-trade him later. I don't think the offered deal is great, but it isn't laughable either.
The deal is laughable, Charlie Ward makes upwards of 5 million a a year and probably won't even be in the NBA after his contract is up, and Kurt Thomas wouldn't be the 10th best powerforward in the West. This is NY media hype, and I doubt if the Sonics considered this deal for even a second.
Is this the same deal the Knicks have been offering Dallas for Van Exel? It sure sounds like it. If so, the Mavs should pull the trigger. They'd benefit way more than Seattle.
